A very beautiful, hardy flowering shrub that begins to bloom by mid-July & goes right until the cold weather arrives in the fall. Prefers full sun, but will tolerate some shade, however the bloom may not be as profuse. No special requirements although I always amend my heavy clay soil with composted cattle manure in fall & spring. By doing this over many years, I have to dig deep to find the clay...just the way I want it & so do all the plants! Pruning of Rose of Sharon should take place in early spring (March/April) so that the flower buds aren't compromised & bloom will not be affected. Rose of Sharon flowers better if there is some air ciculation between branches, so if you have a plant that's dense, prune out a few older branches at ground level. Rose of Sharon is disease & pest free. Collect seeds from the dried up seed pods in spring, plant in garden where more Rose of Sharon is desired. These seeds sprout very easily & you may find seeds have sprouted around your shrub. These can be transplanted to other locations in your garden or potted up & given to friends after they mature a bit.